Bobbin selector device

ABSTRACT

A bobbin selector device for the supporting and conveying track elements of a bobbin loading apparatus having a mechanism for detecting a bobbin not fully stripped of its yarn and for removing that bobbin from the track elements.

Field of Search ..139/(lnquired);

O United States Patent [1113,570,667

[72] Inventor Charles P. Powell [56] References Cited Wesflwm, Mass- UNITED STATES PATENTS [21] P 852,563 2,634,489 4/1953 Root 28/19 [22] Med 1969 3 305 087 2/1967 Lucker 209/74 [45] Patented Mar. I6, 1971 [73] Assignee North American Rockwell Corporation Prim ry Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Pittsburgh, Pa. Attorneys-John R. Bronaugh, George R. Powers and Floyd S. Levison [541 BOBBIN SELECTOR DEVICE 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

52 U.S. Cl 209/74,

209/1 11.7 ABSTRACT: A bobbin selector device for the supporting and [51] Int. Cl B07c 3/10 conveying track elements of a bobbin loading apparatus hav- [50] ing a mechanism for detecting a bobbin not fully stripped of its yarn and for removing that bobbin from the track elements. I

PATENTED NARI 6 ml 3 L570 6 sum 2 or 3 PATENTED m1 6 1971' SHEET 3 BF 3 T M T BACKGROUND OF- THE INVENTION The invention relates to a bobbin loading apparatus'such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,857 whereby empty filling bobbins are guided into magazines by a means which controls the quantity and relative position of the bobbins therein. As is known to those familiar with the art, these magazines are adapted to feed empty bobbins to a combined donning and dofiing mechanism which places said bobbins on spindles of a spinning frame all of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,822.

A conventional procedure in preparing a filling bobbin for the spinning of a new filling package is that of stripping a few remaining winds of yarn therefrom which are normally present after its ejection from a loom shuttle. These few remaining winds of yarn or so-called feeler bunches that remain on bobbins are removed by a stripping machine and the bobbins are received by the loading apparatus in large quantities and in no particular arrangement. The bobbins must then be oriented and separated into predetermined quantities so as to properly fill the internal sections of the magazines.

Should abobbin fail to be stripped of its yarn and. pass through the various stages of preparation and be impaled upon a spindle of a spinning frame, it is necessary that an operator take the time to manually remove such a bobbin and replace it with an appropriate one.

A prime reason for. replacing such a bobbin is that of preventing a second feeler bunch from being fomied which would not permit the looms filling feeler to initiate a replenishment indication and would result in a runout of the filling yarn.

The bobbin selector device according to the instant invention provides a means for detecting a bobbin that has not been completely stripped of its filling yarn and this means is efi'ective in segregating such a bobbin thereby eliminating the possibility of its being loaded into a magazine and the subsequent donning thereof onto the spindle of a spinning frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION bers away from the other upon activation of said solenoid.-

The movable portion of the above-said track member is adjustable, and in its bobbin supporting and guiding position is disposed so as to provide only enough clearance to permit a bobbin completely stripped of its yarn to pass between it and .the other track member. A bobbin not stripped of its yarn presents a slightly larger diameter and is unable to pass between the tracks in the area having the movable portion. The photoelectric cell is also in this area and a delay in the advancing movement of the bobbins will complete a circuit between said cell and the rotary solenoid so as to activate the latter. Activation of the rotary solenoid swings the movable portion of the track member outwardly and the detected bobbin falls from said track members and into a suitable receptacle provided for that purpose. g

holding means is also mechanically linked to the rotary solenoid and upon actuation thereof a pair of opposed arms swing inwardly to a position to prevent further advancing movement of the empty bobbins following the detected bobbin.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a means ap- A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide an automatic means for detecting and eliminating a bobbin not stripped of its-yam during its preparatory stages to prevent the donning thereof on the spindle of a spinning frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a bobbin loading apparatus showing the device according to the invention applied thereto and with a portion of one of the track members displaced to allow a detected bobbin to drop therefrom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Now referring to the FIGS. of the drawings enough of a bobbin loading apparatus is shown in FIGS. l and 2 to serve as a basis for a detailed description of the invention applied thereto.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a pair of spaced track members l0 and 11 which extend in parallel relation and are inclined toward the front of the loading apparatus (not shown).

The bobbins are identified by numeral 12 and are supported by the shoulder of their butt portions for sliding movement in the space intermediate the track members 10 and 11. These track members extend from a hopper arrangement (not shown) that includes a means for orienting and presenting the bobbins to said track members and are connected to a metering device (not shown) which controls the quantity of bobbins permitted to enter each internal section of the magazines. The upper surface of each track member 10 and 11. is covered with a strip of low friction material 13 such as nylon and serves to facilitate the downward sliding movement of the bobbins plicable to a bobbin loading apparatus for detecting a bobbin (FIGS. land 2).

The bobbin selector device according to the invention is identified generally in the FIGS. of drawing by numeral 14 and is positioned a short distance above the track members in the area intermediate the hopper arrangement and the metering device.

A generally U-shaped mounting bracket 15 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) straddles the track members and being fixedly attached to the latter it is provided on its upper end with an L-shaped support stand 16 which is attached to said mounting bracket by means of a capscrew 17 (FIGS. 3 and i).

A rotary solenoid 18 (FIGS. 3 and 4) such as that manufac tured by Ledex Inc. of Dayton, Ohio is attached to the support stand by means of a pair of threaded studs 19 and nuts 20.

The actuating shaft of the rotary solenoid is depicted by numeral 21 and extends through a recess 22 provided in the forward upper surface of the support stand 16. The forward end of the actuating shaftZl has a spur gear 23 fixed thereon which is in meshing relation with a second spur gear 24.-This second spur gear 24 is positioned immediately below spur gear 23 and forms an integral part of a forwardly extending sleeve 25. Sleeve 25 is supported for oscillating movement on a bolt 26 the threadedportion of which is anchored in an aperture (not shown) provided in the upwardly directed portion of the L-shaped support stand 16. v

A depending gate arm 27 having an upper clamping hub element 28 is attached by the latter to the sleeve 25 adjacent its forward and (FIGS. 1,2 and 3). The lower end of the gate arm 27 has a displaceable section of track member it) fixed thereto and by a means to be more fully described is movable from a position in alignment with the remaining portion of track 10 to a position outwardly therefrom.

The forwardly extending sleeve 25 and the gate arm depending therefrom are spring biased in an anticlockwise direction as indicated by the directional arrow 29 in FIG. 4. This biasing force is provided by a torsion-type spring 30 that assembles on sleeve 25 intermediate gear 24 and a spring positioning collar 31. One end of spring 30 assembles in an aperture provided in the side of gear 24 as shown at 32 in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the opposite end is adapted to bear against the underside of a pin 33 that extends from the support stand 16 in spaced and parallel relation to sleeve 25.

' The support stand 16 carries two additional spur gears one of which is depicted by numeral 34 and the other by numeral 35. These gears are disposed in horizontal alignment with gear 24 and are arranged so that gear 34 is in meshing relation with said gear 24 and gear 35 with said gear 34. The latter gears are each provided with forwardly extending hub elements that are identified by numerals 36 and 37 and are assembled for oscillating movement on bolt members 38 and 39 respectively which are attached to the support stand 16 in a manner like that of bolt 26.

Each of the hub elements 36 and 37 has the upper end of a depending holdback arm fixed thereto by means of a screw 40 and are identified by numerals 41 and 42 respectively. The lower ends of these holdback arms each have a pressure pad 43 fixed thereon and being disposed in opposed relation they, in a manner to be more fully explained, are movable between positions which restrict and permit the sliding movement of bobbins therebetween.

Each of the leg portions of the U-shaped mounting bracket has by means of screws 44 (FIG. 3) a generally forwardly directed otfset support bracket attached thereto which are depicted by numerals 45 and 46 respectively.

The support brackets are disposed in spaced and aligned relation and bracket 45 supports adjacent its forward end a photoelectric cell 47. Support bracket 46 supports adjacent its forward end a light source element 48 and being in spaced and horizontal alignment with the photoelectric cell 47 the latter and said light source are arranged relative to track members 10 and 11 so that the butt portions of the bobbins pass between them during their sliding movement along said track members.

The photoelectric cell is in circuit with the rotary solenoid 18 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and in FIGS. 1 and 2 a protective shield 49 is shown which completely covers said solenoid.

The circuitry for sensing a bobbin not completely stripped of its previous yarn package and for the removal of such a bobbin is shown in FIG. 5. power is drawn from any suitable source through a control transformer 50 which in the instant case reduces the voltage to approximately 1 10 volts AC From the transformer the current passes through fuses 51 and 52 and thence to a photoelectric control 53. This control includes a power supply for the light source 48 which in turn directs a light beam to the photoelectric cell 47.

The photoelectric control 53 operates with an interruption of this light beam greater than a predetermined time interval. This time interval is adjustable by means of a time delay circuit in the photoelectric control to allow the normal movement of bobbins passing through the beam. An interruption in the light beam greater than the predetermined time interval will operate the photoelectric control closing a normally open relay 54 and energize a full wave bridge rectifier 55 that provides a source of DC power to actuate the rotary solenoid l8.

Interruption of the light beam ceases on removal of a detected bobbin and the solenoid 18v is automatically deenergized permitting the torsion spring 30 to return it and the elements associated therewith to their initial positions thereby resuming normal operation of the machine.

In operation the inclined track members 10 and 11 permit the stripped bobbins to slide toward the front of the loading apparatus where they are metered into the proper quantities for the internal sections or compartments of a bobbin magazine. v

The photoelectric cell is situated so that the light beam it receives from the light source traverses the path of the butt portions of the bobbins and continued normal movement of the bobbins along the track members has no effect on said light beam.

A bobbin having a few winds of filling yarn remaining thereon does not have sufiicient clearance to move past the area in the track members where the bobbin selector device is situated and such a bobbin will stop in a position to interrupt the light beam.

The photoelectric cell is set up so that an interruption in the light beam longer than the normal movement of a bobbin therethrough, will be triggered so as to complete the circuitry for activating the rotary solenoid.

Activation of the rotary solenoid rotates spur gear 23 in an anticlockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 which in turn rotates the second spur gear 24 and sleeve 25 in a clockwise direction. Movement of the sleeve 25 swings the de pending gate arm 27 fixed thereon in a like direction and carries with it the displaceable section of track member 10. This motion increases the space between the track members thus releasing the bobbin which initiated the detection indication and permits it to fall into a receptacle provided for that purpose.

Rotation of the second gear 24 causes the additional spur gears 34 and 35 to be rotated to the extent of swinging the holdback arms 41 and 42 carried thereby inwardly to a position where their pressure pads 43 come into pressing contact with the bobbin following the detected bobbin. Pressure pads 43 being in clamping contact with the bobbin following the detected one restricts further sliding movement thereof and the remaining bobbins in back of it are likewise stopped. This prevents bobbins other than the detected one from being discarded and by a timing means (not shown) forming a part of the circuitry the displaceable portion of track member 10 will move back to its initial position. During this movement the holdback arms swing outwardly with their pressure pads 43 and the remaining bobbins are free to slide forwardly again under normal operating conditions.

I claim:

I. In a textile machine adapted to prepare bobbins for the building of a yarn package thereon having a guide means for supporting and conveying bobbins between positions to be acted upon by said machine, a' bobbin selector device comprising:

a. means for sensing the rate at which said bobbins are advanced along said guide means;

b. a further means for retarding the rate of advance of a bobbin not completely stripped of its previous yarn package; and

c. ejection means influenced by said means for sensing upon detection of an abnormal bobbin speed for removing a detected bobbin from said guide means.

2. The bobbin selector device according to claim 1 wherein said device further includes a holding means to prevent ejection from said guide means of the empty bobbins following the detected bobbin. a

3. The bobbin selector device according to claim 1 wherein said ejection means-includes a laterally movable portion of a part of said guide means linked to said sensing means and movable relative to the remainder of said guide means between bobbin supporting and nonsupporting positions.

4. The bobbin selector device according to claim 2 wherein said holding means includes a pair of opposed depending arm members mechanically linked to said ejection means and pivotable between bobbin interfering and noninterfering positions so as to restrict and permit movement of the bobbins within said guide means.

5. The bobbin selector device according to claim 3 wherein the laterally movable portion of said guide means includes adjustment means for positioning the latter relative to the remainder thereof so as to permit passage of only a completely stripped bobbin therein.

6. The bobbin selector device according to claim 5 wherein said sensing means includes a light source in spaced alignment with said photoelectric and mechanically linked to said ejection and holding means to effect displacement of the laterally movable portion of said guide means, ejection of a detected bobbin and restriction of movement of the remaining bobbins supported by said guide means.

23 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,570,667 D ted March 16, 1971 Inventor(s) CHARLES P. POWELL It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 6, line 1, after "photoelectric" insert cell Signed and sealed this 6th day of July 1971 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SGHUYLE Attesting Officer COIHmiSSlOIIGI of Pa 

1. In a textile machine adapted to prepare bobbins for the building of a yarn package thereon having a guide means for supporting and conveying bobbins between positions to be acted upon by said machine, a bobbin selector device comprising: a. means for sensing the rate at which said bobbins are advanced along said guide means; b. a further means for retarding the rate of advance of a bobbin not completely stripped of its previous yarn package; and c. ejection means influenced by said means for sensing upon detection of an abnormal bobbin speed for removing a detected bobbin from said guide means.
 2. The bobbin selector device according to claim 1 wherein said device further includes a holding means to prevent ejection from said guide means of the empty bobbins following the detected bobbin.
 3. The bobbin selector device according to claim 1 wherein said ejection means includes a laterally movable portion of a part of said guide means linked to said sensing means and movable relative to the remainder of said guide means between bobbin supporting and nonsupporting positions.
 4. The bobbin selector device according to claim 2 wherein said hoLding means includes a pair of opposed depending arm members mechanically linked to said ejection means and pivotable between bobbin interfering and noninterfering positions so as to restrict and permit movement of the bobbins within said guide means.
 5. The bobbin selector device according to claim 3 wherein the laterally movable portion of said guide means includes adjustment means for positioning the latter relative to the remainder thereof so as to permit passage of only a completely stripped bobbin therein.
 6. The bobbin selector device according to claim 5 wherein said sensing means includes a light source in spaced alignment with a photoelectric cell and disposed so as to permit said bobbins to pass therebetween and arranged to be activated upon failure of a bobbin to move therethrough at the normal rate of advancement.
 7. The bobbin selector device according to claim 6 wherein said sensing means further includes a rotary solenoid in circuit with said photoelectric and mechanically linked to said ejection and holding means to effect displacement of the laterally movable portion of said guide means, ejection of a detected bobbin and restriction of movement of the remaining bobbins supported by said guide means. 